`L.A. LAW' IS LEAVING THE AIR, BUT LICENSE PLATE STAYS PUT

NBC is taking ``L.A. Law'' off the air, but no one's taking the LA LAW license plate off Michael Wright's red Camaro.
``It's riveted, actually,'' Wright said. ``It takes about 5,000 pounds of torque to take it off.''

NBC is taking "L.A. Law" off the air, but no one's taking the LA LAW license plate off Michael Wright's red Camaro.

"It's riveted, actually," Wright said. "It takes about 5,000 pounds of torque to take it off."Wright, who practices law in the Los Angeles suburb of Fountain Valley without famous clients or a skyscraper view, owns the real version of the LA LAW plate made famous in the opening sequence of the TV show.

Los Angeles lawyer Richard Niederberg had the plate on his motor home before the show's 1986 debut but sold it to Wright in 1989 for $500 because it kept getting stolen.

Craig Binkley, the "L.A. Law" property master, was less concerned about the plate's whereabouts.

"Can't worry about those kind of things now," he said. "It's all over."

The last new episode of "L.A. Law" will run on May 19. Low ratings led to the cancellation of the Emmy-winning show after eight seasons.